ARLIS/NA 53rd Annual Conference

The Art in the Library program at Florida State University is interested and invested in bringing the visual and performing arts into the library environment. This program is devoted to the artistic skills present in our large and diverse student body, and participation is not limited to those majoring in fine arts disciplines. Over the last two years, Art in the Library has welcomed a growing number of both art exhibitions and pop-up concerts into our multiple library buildings and has further fostered FSU's artistic community through multiple hands-on maker events each semester. Besides offering engaging and even entertaining library programming, these outreach activities highlight the rich talent present across campus, at once growing our local creative community and showcasing the arts as creative product. In this work, Art in the Library has been especially focused both on its student-centered agenda and on demonstrating impact within and beyond the campus libraries by increasing the scholarly recognition of the fine arts, providing professional development opportunities and visibility for our student artists, and creating community across Florida State through collaborations with campus partners. These strategies have all led Art in the Library to grow exponentially and to maintain that trajectory looking forward.

In this session, speakers will share about the planning and execution of this programming, including its successes and hurdles along the way. They will further address the central themes of creating community and demonstrating impact in the academic library setting. Some of the topics considered in this session include: advocacy for the arts in nontraditional settings, marketing fine arts programming to a broad and diverse audience, courting both arts majors and non-arts majors to participate in the same exhibition program, creating value through unexpected library services, the potential for hosting art in the library to create a culture of inclusivity, and using the arts to foster a widespread social network of campus partners. Attendees of this session will leave with takeaways and advice for implementing similar arts outreach programming within academic libraries for the benefit of their own campus communities, artistic or not.